High School Academics

Communication is always a concern with any group. Trying to keep parents and students informed was difficult if not next to impossible before Wiggio. Wiggio provides a platform of expected collaborative communication. Parents and students know how I communicate information. They also know where they can get it. I know that my messages have been received. If there is any question, Wiggio’s archive system can show what was sent, when it was sent, and who received it.

I’ve been using Wiggio for about three years. I’ve tried other collaborative systems, and I still keep trying new ones. I keep going back to using Wiggio because of the intuitive design, reliability, and accountability it has to offer. This quarter, I’m teaching four classes. There are 83 students enrolled in those courses, and every one of them is using Wiggio to communicate with their fellow classmates and me.

My favorite feature of Wiggio is its archive system. I am constantly going back to see what messages were sent, what files were shared, and what information was passed along and to whom. This archive system provides a record of accountability for anyone who uses Wiggio chat rooms, text messaging, or file sharing services. It is secure and detailed showing the original communication, the date and time of the communication, and to whom the communication was sent. Also, the mass communication feature allows everyone in my groups to receive or share messages is used on a regular basis. Information meant for parents is sent through comments, and information sent to students is sent through text messages. We also use Wiggio for class activities, such as chat rooms to facilitate class discussions.

Depending on the course, students hand in their work through Wiggio. With a Web Design course, most of the assignments are done online as Websites. With courses like Personal Business and Global Business, two courses I will be teaching during the remainder of year, students will on average use Wiggio to turn in approximately 10 to 20 percent of their assignments. The assignments that are turned in through Wiggio are typically projects, chatroom activities, and some collaborative efforts.

Because I am using Wiggio tools with students in class for learning, as well for one-way communication through messaging, 100% of my students are active within Wiggio. Further, after using Wiggio in class, I find that about 50% of my students start using their Wiggio accounts on their own for the file storage and other tools.

I store my entire curriculum online, and I store my most important information on Wiggio. I use Wiggio for collaborative activities, backing up files, and for electronic communication to parents and students through Email and text messaging. Although I sometimes use other websites to help me manage my classes, here is how the numbers would stack up with Wiggio:

• 95% of online communication through email and text messaging

• 80% of collaborative activities and archives of these events

• 100% of backup and storage of important documents

• 80% of file sharing between students

I will be using Wiggio as long as I’m leading groups. Parents appreciate receiving emails and text messages without waiting for the information to be passed along from their sons and daughters. Students prefer texting to email. How can you beat a platform that does both?

Kevin Schuchmann

Teacher at West Delaware High School

Learn more about how Kevin Schuchmann has used Wiggio in his classroom here